The Land Down Under: The Australian Geography Quiz

You may already know that the Australian continent includes the Australian mainland and nearby islands, but how well-versed are you in some of the finer details of its geography? Test your knowledge of the "land down under" with this Australian geography quiz.

Start Quiz »

You scored

0 out of 30

Question 1 of 30

Australia is located between the Pacific Ocean and which other ocean?

Indian

Australia is located between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

Atlantic

Arctic

Question 2 of 30

In which hemisphere is Australia located?

Northern

Western

Eastern

Australia is located in the Eastern and Southern Hemispheres.

Question 3 of 30

True or false: Australia is the 10th largest country in the world.

true

false

Australia covers 7,692,024 square kilometers (2,969,907 square miles), making it the sixth largest country in the world.

Question 4 of 30

Which city is the capital of Australia?

Sydney

Canberra

Canberra is the capital of Australia. Canberra was a planned city and is located between Melbourne and Sydney in the Australian Capital Territory.

Melbourne

Question 5 of 30

How many time zones does Australia have?

one

two

three

Australia has three time zones: Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), Australian Central Standard Time (ACST) and Australian Western Standard Time (AWST).

Question 6 of 30

How many states are there in Australia?

six

Australia is divided into six states and two territories. The states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The territories are the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.

eight

ten

Question 7 of 30

What is the highest peak in mainland Australia?

Mount Townsend

Mount Twynam

Mount Kosciuszko

At 2,228 meters (7,310 feet) Mount Kosciuszko is the highest peak in mainland Australia. Mount Kosciuszko is located in the Snowy Mountains of southeastern New South Wales.

Question 8 of 30

Which latitude line runs through Australia?

Equator

Tropic of Capricorn

The Tropic of Capricorn is the latitude line that runs across Australia. The Tropic of Capricorn is 23.5 degrees south of the equator and denotes the southernmost point on Earth that the sun will be directly overhead at noon local time.

Tropic of Cancer

Question 9 of 30

What is the largest state in Australia?

Western Australia

At 2,529,875 square kilometers (976,790 square miles), Western Australia is the largest state in Australia.

Queensland

Victoria

Question 10 of 30

How long is Australia's Great Barrier Reef?

1,000 kilometers (621 miles)

1,500 kilometers

2,000 kilometers

The Great Barrier Reef, located off Australia's northeastern coast, is more than 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) long.

Question 11 of 30

The city of Hobart is the capital of which Australian state?

Tasmania

Hobart is the capital of the Australian state of Tasmania. The British established the settlement of Hobart in 1803.

Queensland

Western Australia

Question 12 of 30

What is Australia's biggest city by population?

Melbourne

Sydney

Sydney is Australia's most populated city, with more than 4.6 million residents.

Brisbane

Question 13 of 30

What is the name of the famous sandstone monolith found in the Northern Territory?

Ayers Rock

Ayers Rock, which also goes by the Aboriginal name Uluru, was named a World Heritage Site in 1987.

Mount McClintock

Mount Augustus

Question 14 of 30

True or false: Lake Eyre in the state of South Australia is the lowest point on the Australian continent.

true

At 15.2 meters (49 feet) below sea level, Lake Eyre is the lowest point on mainland Australia. Located in South Australia, Lake Eyre is actually two lakes connected by a long channel.

false

Question 15 of 30

Which Australian city is home to the iconic Opera House?

Perth

Sydney

The Sydney Opera House was completed in 1973 and has been featured in numerous magazines, television shows and movies.

Adelaide

Question 16 of 30

How many islands are within Australia's maritime borders?

more than 800

more than 4,000

more than 8,000

There are 8,222 islands within the maritime borders of Australia.

Question 17 of 30

What is the longest river in Australia?

River Murray

The River Murray is the longest single river in Australia at 2,508 kilometers (1,558 miles) long.

Murrumbidgee River

Darling River

Question 18 of 30

What is the southernmost point of mainland Australia?

Steep Point

Cape Byron

South Point

The most southerly point of the Australian mainland is South Point, located at the tip of Wilsons Promontory National Park in Victoria.

Approximately 35 percent of Australia is classified as desert due to minimal annual rainfall amounts. Not including Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent on Earth, with 70 percent of the country receiving less than 500 millimeters of annual rainfall.

30 percent

25 percent

Question 28 of 30

True or false: Summer in Australia is December through February.

true

Seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite those in the northern hemisphere.

false

Question 29 of 30

Which Australian state is home to the Daintree Rainforest?

New South Wales

Victoria

Queensland

The Daintree Rainforest, one of the oldest rainforests in the world, is located in the Australian state of Queensland.

Question 30 of 30

Which city is the capital of Western Australia?

Perth

With a population of 1.89 million people, Perth is the largest city in Western Australia and the fourth largest city in the entire country.